"Havana Syndrome" - here's an interesting one.

[Bayleaf]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60237839

"Havana Syndrome may be caused by ‘pulsed energy’".

This maybe an interesting one to discuss, as although (having read the article), I doubt "whether it is due to some kind of surveillance which causes harm or the use of a weapon", I do sometimes wonder about all the "stuff" we have around us and the invisible effect it can have on our lives.

[niemeyjt]

The Chinese were using something similar against Indian soldiers in the Himalayas. Basically a microwave that you can point at people.

My guess is it is a targetted weapon, not a bit of dodgy surveillance kit, here as well. Interesting that it seems to be CIA people who are the "victims".

And I don't doubt that most western armies have something similar.

[Hotrodder]

They most certainly do. Raytheon corporation in the US have come up with a kind of "disruptor" device that could be used in a crowd control scenario. At the time I discovered the info it still required a large power supply that had to be mounted in or on a vehicle but in had been tested effective and work was continuing to reduce the power supply size to make it more portable.

Electromagnetic Pulse weapons are no longer in the realm of science fiction and governments are taking them very seriously. I read a copy of a government white paper that expressed concerns about how to defend everything from personnel to satellites against them. It was a large section of a study about how to secure the national grid in the event of an attack. It was easily ten years ago since I read it and have lost the link but you could ask Uncle Google about EMPs and have a snoop around.

As I recall, it seems that if one particular hub or power station was taken out of action there are backup systems and equipment stored ready to deploy for repairs but would take up to three months to install. A second failure within that time would be critical tipping point. I doubt whether the backup systems have had much improvement since the report was published given the private sector's reluctance to invest in improvements for the future.

[niemeyjt]

Of course, EMP is another issue entirely.

One suggestion is that if Kim Jong-un (or Putin, or Xi) were to detonate a dirty nuke a few km up over the US the EMP pulse would knock out so many electrical systems that maybe 75% of Americans would die - not from the pulse, but from the loss of everything normally driven by electricity.

[Hotrodder]

They'd be OK. Guns don't need electricity and there's more than enough bullshit to go around.

[L Austin France]

I'd be safe from EMP as I always wear the tinfoil hat I made when our Linky meter was installed.

[Char]

I'd be safe from EMP as I always wear the tinfoil hat I made when our Linky meter was installed.

Does it work?

[L Austin France]

I'd be safe from EMP as I always wear the tinfoil hat I made when our Linky meter was installed.

Does it work?

Don't really know as I'm too frightened to take it off to see if it does make a difference.
At the moment I can still remember my name

[Char]